Glass-drawing apparatus



June 1927' w. e. KQUPAL ET AL GLASS DRAWING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 14, 1926 INVENTOR? 5 Sheets-Shegt'i 1 631,138 June 1927' w. e. KOUPAL ET AL v v GLASS DRAWING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 14, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS 4 5. Jua vw June 7 1927.

w. G. KOUPAL ET AL GLASS DRAWING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 14, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORSI jk lfl wllmlmdlawwalzmwlmum Patented June 7, 192?.

UNITED STATES 1,631,138 PATENT oFFicE.

WALTER G. KOUPAL AND JOSEPH S. GREGOBIUS, 011 MOUNT VERNON, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO PITTSBURGH PLATE GLASS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

GLASS-DRAFTING APPARATUS.

Application filed October 14, 1926.

The invention relates to an apparatus for making sheet glass applicable where a continuous sheet is drawn from an open pool or bath, and involves an in'iprovement on edge holding means of the type disclosed in the Koupal Patent No. 1,580,1e0 of April 13, 1926 and the Gregorius Patent No. 1,596,654 of August 1.7, 1926. We have found in the application of these edge bowls to enclose-d kilns that where artificial cooling is applied to the bowls, either by air or water, an enlargement appears on the gather under that portion of the bowl adjacent the slot therein. This enlargement causes a thickening of the sheet just inside the edge, as indicated at a in Fig. 9. This type of edge is relatively hard and tends to cause breakage, due to the edges cracking oil; and also to checks or line cracks starting at the edges and running inward. The object of the present invention is to overcome this dil'liculty and reduce the thick portion o of Fig. 9, so that it entirely disappears or approaches more nearly to the proportions indicated at b in Fig, 10. This edge is softer than the one of Fig. 9 and the tendency toward breaking and checking or cracking is largely, if not entirely, eliminated. forms 01? construction for accomplishing this result are shown in the accompai'iying drawings, wherein;

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken at right angles to the section of Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4: and 5 are detail views of one form of edge bowl, Fig. 3 being a plan View and Figs. 41 and 5 side elevations. Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are detail views of a modified form of edge bowl, Fig. (5 being a plan view and Figs. 7 and 8 side elevations. And Figs. 9 and 10 are enlarged horizontal sections taken at the edges of two sheets of glass, Fig. 9 illustrating the form of edge produced by the use of the old form of edge bowl and Fig. 10 illustrating the form of edge produced by the use of the edge bowl to which the present application is particularly directed.

Referring to the drawings, 1 a forehearth or drawing tank conected with a melting tank preferably of the regenerator type from which the glass sheet or ribbon 2 is to be drawn continuously. The surface of the bath in the torehearth is par- Two Serial No. 141,563.

tially covered over by means of the plates 3 and 4 and the L-blocks 5 and 6. Mounted above the opening between the L-blocks, is the leer 7 which carries the means for draw ing the glass continuously upward from the bath. The means employed for drawing the glass comprises a series of pairs of rollers 8, 9, 1.0, etc., driven by suitable means, and either made up of asbestos discs,

plates 11, 12, etc. and the temperature of these compartments decreases progressively upward, so that the glass is gradually cooled and annealed as it passes through the leer, being cut into separate sheets as it emerges from the upper end of the leer. At the lower end of the leer is a pair of plates 13 and 1a of the shape indicated in Fig. 1, such plates acting as a partial closure for the con'ipartinent 15 at the bottom of the leer, and also serving to catch any broken glass falling from this compartment. The space into which the glass sheet is drawn beneath the leer is closed inby means of the end plates 16 and 1.7 and the side plates 18 and 19, and the glass is further shielded by means oi? the inclined plates 20 supported at their lower ends upon the L-blocks 5 and (5 and rest at their upper ends against the water cooled pipes 21..

The edge holding devices comprise the bowl shaped members 22, slotted as indicated at and located adjacent the surface of the bath. These members are preferably made of cast iron or steel (preferably nickel chromium steel) and are relatively thick and heavy. In service, they become red hot and act as reflectors maintaining the areas of glass therebeneath considerably hotter than would otherwise be the case. The slots 23 are somewhat wider than the thickness of the glass, and the contact between the glass and the edge of the slot is relatively slight. There is, however, sufiicient adherence to prevent'the edge of the sheet from working inward during the drawing operation, unless the metal reaches too high a temperature, in which case, the devices will release tieir hold upon the edges of the sheet and permit it to narrow. This overheating will not ordinarily occur, it the space between the L-blocks and the lower end or the leer is not closed in, but when such space is closed in, as is done by the use of the plates 16, 17, 18 and 12), "this overheating and release ol the edges of the sheet sometimes occurs. This condition is taken care of either by the use of a pair of water coolers arranged on either side of the slot, as shown in the Gregorius Patent No. 1,596,65d of August 17, 1926, or by the use of a pair of small air supply pipes 26, 26 arranged to straddle the slot, as indicated n l 1g 3, and having their ends recurved (Fig. 2). The branches oi: the pipe are supplied with air under pressure from. the pipe 27 and connected to a supply hose 28. The pipes 26, 26 are of relatively small diameter and the pressure employed low, so that there is only a gentle flow of air dewnward along the upper surface of the bowl adjacent the sides of the slot 225. This air supply chills the portion of the bowl which eng ges the edge of the sheet to such an extent that such edge will not pull away from the edge holding device. The use t this chilling device does, however, have the elllect of chilling the sheet inward from its or; re :ie outer edge so that the secondary swell. indicated at a on Fig. 9 is produced. This secondary swell is somewhat exaggerated on Fig. 9 in order to make the showing clearer, but the thickening is of a substantial character and increases the amount of waste which must be cut away from the sheet in the cutting room. This edge is also very hard and tends to cause breakage, both by the edges stripping oil and by checks or fine cracks starting from the edge and running inward.

The present invention. is designed. to overcome this diihculty, and this is accomplished in the "term of the device shown in Figs. 3, land 5 by the provision. of the pair of inardly projecting 29, 29 preferably made integral with the body of the bowl 22. 'lhcse fins act as reflectors so that a consid erable amount of additional heat from the bath is reflected downwardly upon such bath with the result that the p from which the edge is generated is at a somewhat higher temperature than would be the case it the fins or flanges were not used. This additional heat applied to the edge of the sheet reduces the secondary swell shown in Fig. 9, so that such swell is reduced to the proportions indicated at b in Fig. 10. i slight swell still remains, but it is practically negligible, and the edge is substan tially softer than that produced when the fins or flanges are not used. As a result, any breakage and checking due to hard edges is largely eliminated, and the amount of waste glass is reduced as the sheet may be trimmed closer to the edge than it was possible to do with an edge such as that shown in Fig. 9.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show a modification for performing the same function as the flanges or ribs 29, 29 of the'construction above described. In this form of bowl, the heat reflecting members are in the form of the lugs 80, 30 cast integral with the bowl 3:1 and projecting inwardly toward the center of the sheet being drawn. Still other forms of reflecting members might be employed for accomplishing this same function.

The bowls 22 and 30 may be supported in any desired manner, so that, they can be adjusted to meet requirements. As illustrated, they are supported upon bars 32 passing through forked supports 33 seated upon the side walls of the furnace, the rear end of the bars passing through ad'ustable rods carried by standards 35. T e position of the rod 34 fixed by means oi the set screw 36.

The invention. is not limited to the particular shaped bowl shown, onto the use of ificial cooling means in. connection with the bowls. The improvement in the edge of the glass sheet is most marked under the conditions of artificial cooling, but with a standard window glass batch, which seems to require no artificial cooling of the edge bowls, an improvement in edge produced is shown when the bowl having the fins or flanges substituted for the old form of bowl without the fins.

What we claim is:

1. The combination with apparatus arranged to draw a glass sheet from an open pool oi molten glass, of means for preventing inward movement of the edge of the sheet in said pool, comprising a shielding bowl above the glass, but closely adjacent. thereto, and having a slot extending inward from its edge and fitting around the edge of the sheet, cooling means for the bowl, and reflecting members projecting outward from the bowl on each side of the slot.

2. The combination with apparatus arranged to draw a glass sheet from an open pool of molten glass, of means for preventing inward movement of the edge of the sheet in said pool, comprising a shielding bowl above the glass, but closely adjacent thereto, and having a, slot extending inward from its edge and fitting around the edge of the sheet, cooling means for the bowl, and reflecting members integral with the bowl projecting outward from the b wl on each side of the slot.

3. The combination with apparatus arranged to draw a glass sheet from an open pool of molten glass, of means for prevent-- ing inward movement of the edge of the sheet in said pool, comprising a shielding bowl above the glass, but closely adjacent thereto, and having a slot extending inward from its edge and fitting around the edge of the sheet, and heat reflecting portions on the bowl projecting horizontally from the body of the bowl on each side of said slot and adjacent thereto.

4. The combination with apparatus arranged to draw a glass sheet from an open pool of molten glass, of means for preventing inward movement of the edge of the sheet in said pool, comprising a shielding bowl above the glass, but closely adjacent thereto, and having a slot extending inward from its edge and fitting around the edge of the sheet, and heat reflecting flanges projecting horizontally from the body of the bowl on each side of said slot and adjacent thereto.

WALTER G. KOUPAL. JOSEPH S. GREGORIUS. 

